Fire-Stain
by Devastasnion
Summary: With the death of Summer Rose, the Xiao Long-Rose family was left lost and broken. When Professor Ozpin sees this and how each trouble feeds on the other he ops to separate them by sending Tai on a Hunt in Mistral. While there Tai comes across a boy just as lost and broken as him and decides the best course would be to save him. This is the story of that boy and his journey after.
1. Opener

While not entirely necessary I would ask that upon reading however much of this story is finished or however much you manage to get through that you, as the reader, please construct a review and give me your thoughts on the content. Please be respectful but honest, regardless of its direction, and I will be forever grateful. Additionally, each time this story is updated with a new chapter, I will likely implement a number of small improvements to each existing chapter. These changes will be small in scale and pertain almost exclusively to matters such as grammar and style of writing that came to my attention and will not change the overall direction or premise of the story.

RWBY and the World of Remnant are owned by RoosterTeeth Productions.

* * *

 **Hello**. What is your name? Mine is Ozpin, Professor Ozpin, and I'd like to tell you a story, but I must first introduce the characters and tell you how they fit into the history of our world: Remnant. Long, long ago, when humanity was still young, still new to the world, they waged an endless war of survival; a war that they were losing very quickly. Then came Dust. Noone remembers how or where it was found but with it came the power to fight the darkness, the power to fight the Grimm. And win. But Dust in its raw form is unstable, volatile, and difficult to manage. After much trial and error, far too often ending in catastrophic tragedy, Man began to learn. They began to see patterns, and truths, and techniques.

Dust required a high level of personal discipline, It expended high amounts of stamina, and larger quantities required even more to release greater destructive power. It could be woven into clothing or inked into the skin for more efficiency, or combined to create new colors and new abilities. If those that attempted to make use of Dust were found lacking, it often ended in their own preemptive end.

From this age of war rose Heroes: men and women that accomplished great and terrible deeds in the face of great adversity. Whether they made use of powerful tools, or genius strategies, or simple luck, these Heroes had what it took to shape the course of history and to protect those that could not do so for themselves. As the years passed these Heroes and their accomplishments became stories, passed by word-of-mouth between strangers, then friends, then generations. Some became the legends and myths that every person alive today knows, while others are less known, and others still are forgotten.

One such legend is that of the Three Golden Warriors: long ago, when Man had just begun to raise itself from the ashes using its newfound power, the beginnings of civilization were forming: Families, cliques, tribes, whatever you wish to call them. Such groups formed mutually beneficial agreements to rely on each other for strength and safety. These bands would often travel together, searching out provisions with which to survive and locations at which to hide or defend themselves from those that meant them harm but they would never remain in one place for very long as the Grimm always knew how to find and would eventually strike in force. Many times, a spot would be discovered that simply could not be abandoned for how beneficial it was to remain, be it resources or space or natural defenses, and as they lingered, and as time passed, these people transitioned from wanderers to settlers.

Tents became cabins, hunters became farmers, families grew larger and, as other groups found them, settlements grew larger as well. From one of these settlements came three siblings that would grow to be three of the greatest Grimm slayers in history.

While their place of origin has long since lost its name to history, the three have not. The eldest brother: Zhulo, the middle brother: Ifriit, and the younger sister: Celic. Each of them possessed the most radiant, golden hair; as if the sun had run its fingers down their scalps. Today, those that know the legend believe that those with golden hair are direct descendants of these Heroes and that the key to understanding which one is in their eyes. The eldest and strongest had sapphire blue eyes, just like the ocean, and was covered head-to-toe in Dust tattoos. These tattoos gave him the enormous strength he needed to stand against the Grimm and destroy them with his bare hands. The middle and keenest had a rare trait that made his eyes two different colors: one the green as grass and the other silver. Ifriit had a head for battle and knew everything there was to know about every Grimm there was to know about. He wove his garments out of every color of Dust and used them all to strike the Grimm at their weakest points, leaving them crippled and helpless. The youngest boasted eyes the deep crimson of freshly spilled blood. She used only Red Dust when she fought but in its raw, crystallized form. Many believe that a number of today's mountains, cliffs, and canyons were formed as a result of the pure destructive force she could unleash upon her foes.

These three Warriors did many, many things that bring questions to the limits of human capability even today. So many, in fact that there is more than just one legend about them. There is the story of when Zhulo killed a Dragon with a single blow, or the one of Celic destroying one of the largest Grimm forces in history single-handedly, or the tale of Ifriit slaying a Nevermore using only his wits and a hunting knife.

Or Perhaps you'd like to hear something darker? Perhaps the story of a Grimm that laid such an evil, cruel curse on Ifriit that it turned his silver eye the black of night? Or maybe the story of Zhulo's death at the hands of his brother? Or how about the story of Celic attempting to combine her Red Dust with the fatally dangerous Black Dust, resulting in an entire village lighting up in a blaze that did not stop burning for decades.

These stories are each a legend unto themselves in some circles; legends for another time. I have one particular story in mind that I wish to tell you, but it seems we are out of time. Remember this until next we meet: though these heroes were capable of feats that could reshape the very fabric of our world and though the powers that they possessed made them seem completely infallible, they were still only human and there never was, is or ever will be any human(or Faunus) that lived without his share of mistakes or weaknesses.

Goodbye for now.


	2. Prologue

A soft, mechanical hum was the only sound in the tiny windowless box, interrupted by the occasional ping of another passed floor. TaiYang Xiao Long stared absently at the cluster of round-numbered buttons on the wall before him. He only vaguely noticed each time the backlight went out and appeared behind the next in line.

35\. 36. 37. 38.

He blinked, rather slowly, and crept his sunken eyes up past the digital read above the door, to the light mounted in the ceiling. His bright baby-blue lit up in conquest as the pupils yielded as much room as they could. The beautiful vibrancy was a harsh contrast, the only apparent life left in his gaunt, pale face.

The elevator slowed to a stop, marked by one final chime of the bell and the doors slid open in silence. Tai heard someone request that he enter. He blinked, slow, and looked down to find a man sitting behind a massive desk in the center of a spacious high ceiling office.

The man stared past his spectacles and smiled patiently as Tai made his way to the center of the room. "Please sit," he said, gesturing to the single chair across from himself.

"I'm sorry for being late, Oz," Tai responded as he sank into his seat. His voice was rough, haggard as if he hadn't made use of it for some time.

Professor Ozpin frowned. "You aren't late, Tai."

Tai blinked slowly once more. He glanced up at the gargantuan clock face housed in the wall above them. A great many gears of all types and sizes sat suspended in an intricate display, shifting and spinning without end and both of its hands rested firmly in place nearby a large obsidian X.

"Oh," Tai huffed out a weak laugh, "I guess you'd know better than anyone. Sorry."

Ozpin gave the man a sad, almost pitied smile, "How are the girls holding up?"

Tai spent a moment considering the question; long enough that Ozpin might feel he wouldn't answer. "Yang." he began. "She's never at the house anymore. She either spends all her time in town or the forest doing-" he hesitated, his face growing darker, graver. "I don't really know what she does. She's always hurt and tired when she comes back, though. And she's always angry, always snapping at me, always snapping at her sister."

Another moment passed in silence. Tai looked back up at Ozpin. "Did you know her eyes are red?" A faint smile ghosted onto his lips, "just like Raven's. For some reason, I've always thought they were purple."

Neither man spoke. Tai sat there and smiled down at his hands. He'd not thought about Raven for years. His lips began to quiver a bit as Ozpin stood and strode from the desk. A sharp, quiet metallic click filled the room every time he set his walking cane to the tiles. The clicks stopped, and soon the hard aroma of fresh coffee began to fill the empty air.

Tears were sliding down Tai's cheeks when Ozpin returned and offered him a delicate glass, emitting a thin steam. "And what of Ruby?" Ozpin asked, leaning both himself and his cane against the table's edge.

Tai took the glass between two gloved hands, sipped from it, and set it aside to cool. "Ruby is-" he paused and took a deep, deliberate breath. "Ruby isn't doing that great, Oz. She's lost all of her energy. She doesn't talk to anyone. Barely does anything that someone her age should be doing, like laughing. Or smiling." He scratched at the stubble on his jaw, hesitating. "She's so young," he said, "too young to understand why, I think, but she knows that her mom- that Summer- isn't ever coming back."

Ozpin sipped from his glass. He laid a gentle hand on Tai's shoulder, "I'm truly sorry for what your family is dealing with right now." He waited. When Tai failed to respond, Oz stood and made his way back around the desk. "Summer was a fine huntress, we both know that, and she was an even better person. Remnant is a darker place without her."

Still, Tai did not respond.

Ozpin reclaimed his seat and leaned onto the table, hands crossed before him. "I know some part of you blames me." He sighed. "I blame myself, as well. If I hadn't-"

"Don't!" Both men refused to meet each other's gaze. More tears forced there way out of Tai, burning as they stained his face. "Don't- She knew the dangers of being a huntress. We all do. We'd have all died long ago if it weren't for you."

Ozpin untangled his hands and retrieved his coffee. They both sat quietly and listened to the minutes tick by on the giant clock above them. Ozpin finished his glass and set it back on the table. "I want to help you get through this, Tai, but in order to do that I must be sure that you still trust me."

"I do."

"Then please hear me out."

Tai waited. When Ozpin did not continue, he spoke up again. "I'm listening."

"I need you to go to Mistral."

"What?"

"In Mistral, you will find a man that calls himself 'Tiger.' He is a dangerous man with dangerous habits, and I would like you to assist the police there in neutralizing him."

"Wait. How is this supposed to help me, and what about my kids?" Tai's mind began racing. It made no sense.

Ozpin held his hand out. "Let me finish, Tai."

Silence.

"Thank you. I'll be honest; I don't really know how this will help you, but I have a feeling that in confronting this man you will find something in his possession that is of great importance to you." Ozpin moved his hand to his empty glass, made to drink, and stopped with a frown. He glanced across the room at the fresh pot, clearly considering if he should get more before continuing. He merely set the glass back down with a sigh. "Qrow will watch the girls while you are away."

Tai's brow furrowed. "No," he said with no shortage of finality.

"Qrow is their uncle. He loves them just as much as you."

"He's irresponsible."

"Not with these matters."

"He's a drunk!"

Ozpin sighed again, leaning back in his chair. "When was the last time you saw him drinking near those two?"

Tai mirrored Oz; crossing his own arms. "I try not to let him near my children."

"And I'm sure they're very grateful for it."

Tai stood from his chair with such violence that he struck the table and sent his forgotten glass off the edge. It clattered to the ground and shattered, splashing the cold coffee into an ugly little puddle. The two men stared each other down. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to this."

"And what will you do when they enroll in Signal? Will you force a substitute into every class that they have with him? Perhaps you'll cover these classes yourself, as well as your own?"

Slowly, Tai straightened his back and stretched his gloves over each knuckle. He rounded toward the elevator and began to march away. He jammed his finger into the call button and waited for all of nothing before doing it twice more.

"Consider the state you're in, Tai. Consider how it affects them," Ozpin called from his seat.

The doors pinged open, and Tai was inside, slamming his fist into the group of buttons. The doors closed with another ping.

* * *

The nerve of that old bastard. How dare Ozpin suggest that Qrow, of all people, come anywhere near his kids; how dare he even imply that Tai himself was part of the trouble his family was facing! In all the years Tai's known him, Oz never once felt the need to talk about himself in anything more than vague, cryptic riddles. He knew Ozpin had been around a long time- far longer than anybody- but he also knew that the man never had a family, So Oz couldn't possibly have the slightest clue what he was talking about.

Tai stepped off the ramp leading from the ferry and onto the single small platform that made up Patch's dock. Patch was a quaint little town on the of a quaint little island. Small towns often have a certain air of tension about them even to this day, due to the higher chance of Grimm attack, but not Patch. It was close to Vale, the capital, so it benefitted from many of their defenses. The water around the island was far too shallow for many of the more massive aquatic Grimm to maneuver, and perhaps most importantly, most of the residents were licensed or retired Huntsman and Huntresses who'd settled here to raise their families. Tai was one such Huntsman. He and what family remained to him lived in a cabin a short walk into the woods. He liked it. It was nice and quiet.

It was mid-day, and the street was bustling as Tai made his way down it. The many stall vendors sat behind their wares quietly as people moved about making purchases. Some greeted Tai, and he absently greeted those that he noticed: Terra, selling the fruit from her garden; Denim, with his vast selection of liquor; Fulvo, who interrupted his own attempt at convincing an unfamiliar but pretty young girl to buy a blouse he'd just sewn.

Tai began to loosen as he strolled through the thin crowd. This always happened when he came home; the atmosphere just fit him too well. The sharp chink of a hammer striking against metal rose up over the surrounding noise, growing louder still as he approached the exit. Smoke billowed from the stone chimney jutting out from atop a short building with an open facade. Inside, the Smith pounded on an unfinished breastplate as the forge burned next to him.

Tai slowed his advance to watch a bit longer, and the man glanced up from his work. A broad grin broke out from behind his bushy, black mustache and he paused. "TaiYang Xiao Long!" he exclaimed in greeting. "Back from Beacon already? I hope Vale hasn't burned to the ground!" The man laughed as he moved the breastplate into the furnace and stood.

Tai stopped and returned the smile as he said, "Hello Argon. Vale stands another day I'm afraid. Sorry to disappoint."

Argon moved toward Tai and laughed again. "Well, that is quite a shame. My hopes remain shattered." He stopped just at the edge of his shop, his bald head catching the sunlight with a bright gleam. "I hope your business concluded smoothly."

"Everything stayed relatively on track," Tai replied, "How's the shop been? Pick up any new customers today?"

Argon frowned and straightened a sword that had caught his attention hanging on a wrack next to several others and various pieces of armor. He conducted business out of this room just as much as he did the central section of his shop. "Not today, no, just finishing up on some old orders."

"Well, not every day can be a tragic flow of broken spades and chipped pots for you to profit off of I'm afraid," Tai said.

Argon perked up at the jab, his frown deepening just before he burst out laughing. "You're not wrong there, Tai! You're not wrong there."

TaiYang's smile broadened into a grin. He opened his mouth to continue but a voice small and delicate, cut him off. "Excuse me," he heard, and whirled on instinct at some phantom hope.

"I'd like to buy a weapon." It was that same unfamiliar girl from before.

Tai recomposed himself; Argon had already stopped laughing and shifted into business mode. "Then you've come to the right place little miss," he said, gesturing for her to enter, "I'm the finest smith on Patch, and it's not at all to do with being the only Smith on Patch."

Tai lingered only long enough to chide himself for his foolishness before resuming his walk. He could hear the market sounds, and Argon's stellar salesmanship specifically, even as he made his way through the town gate. They slowly faded to be replaced by the quiet tranquility of the forest, and the overbearing suppression of his own thoughts.

* * *

He'd fallen back into that mode again by the time the clearing became apparent through the trees: the one he seemed to spend all his days in lately when left to his own devices. He'd spent the whole trek unable to think of anything other than how much he missed Summer and had almost not made it home before nightfall, losing sight of the path and taking all manner of wrong turns. The sun hung low, just over the treetops as he approached the carved wood door of the cabin and paused.

Tai forced a smile on his face. The corner of his mouth quivered. He let it fall, finding a smile just too hard to maintain before he opened the door. "I'm home," he said. He did manage to make his voice slightly more than a flat croak.

He was first greeted by the stiff, professional voice of the local news anchor, then by the sight of a rugged, sharp-featured, salt-and-peppered old buzzard sitting on the couch.

"Sup," said the man, pressing a button on the remote held aimed at the translucent screen before him. The channel flicked from news to some childish cartoon, and he set the remote down with a snicker.

Tai took a moment to contain as much of his anger as he could manage. "What the hell are you doing here, Qrow?" he growled

Qrow lay sprawled on the couch; feet propped over the glass coffee table. He threw a short glance in Tai's direction before saying, "what does it look like? I'm watching TV."

Tai's hands tightened into fists. "Get out," he growled again.

Qrow smirked as he crossed his hands behind his head. "Is that any way to talk to your old teammate-"

"Get out!"

Qrow fell silent, frowning, watching Tai with those crimson eyes that resembled Raven's far too closely.

Tai's body went rigid. He ground his teeth as his lips pulled back and he snarled like some wild animal. "Stop it," he said, his voice low and full of warning.

"I don't think I will."

"STOP! IT!" Tai slammed his fist into the wall next to him, the wood crunched under the force, and a visible shudder ran through the entire structure. Everything that wasn't nailed down was sent shaking and swaying: the pictures on the wall(one of which fell from its hanging to shatter on the floor), the TV, small tables and the various objects that rested on them at the far sides of the room. Silence fell, corrupted by the incessant gibbering of the cartoon on the screen. Still, Qrow stared at him.

Tai made to move toward the man but stopped when he heard a small sound. "Dad?" The voice said, female and frightened, "what are you doing?" He shifted his eyes over to where it had come from and there found a young girl frowning at him.

He deflated entirely at the sight of her; at the big, round, purple eyes watching his every move; at the wild golden hair tied into two loose pigtails on either side of her head; at the tiny scrapes and cuts that covered every inch of her with only the largest of them having seen any attention. He rushed to her, any trace of his rage gone. "Yang, are you alright? What happened?" he demanded, falling on his knees to get a closer look.

Yang recoiled slightly under his scrutiny and turned away, scrunching her face at the floor. "Nothing happened Dad; I'm fine."

"Nothing? Yang, you look like you got attacked by a Grimm!"

She muttered something he could not hear.

"Yang. Please." He reached out and took her little hand in his ginger grip.

The girl rounded on him. She pulled her hand back with a violent jerk and tears began to well up in her eyes. "Why should I tell you?" She balled the hand that he had taken into a fist and wrapped it protectively in her other. "It's not like you care! Ever since- Ever since what happened to Mom, you haven't cared!" The tears flowed down her face. She took a short, quick step back from him and her voice dropped low as if she were too drained to speak to him directly. "You just sit there every day and do nothing." She began to crescendo. "You never go anywhere. You never do anything. I have burns all over because the oven is too big for me, but you aren't going to cook, or even eat unless I force it. Ruby has no idea whats going on because you won't even look at her!"

She spat the last bit through her teeth like venom and Tai could feel it burn him as he heard it. He remained frozen in place, his hand hovering before him, his mind racing past far too quickly for him to latch onto any actual thought.

Yang dropped her arms when he offered no reactions to her words. The surreal purple of her eyes began to shade over with a brutal, deep, bloody red and she sucked in a heavy breath, throwing her shoulders back to stand at her full height. "Dinner will be ready soon. If you can manage to show up." With that said, she turned and shoved the door open that she had been standing next to and marched back into the kitchen.

Slowly, so slowly, Tai turned his hand over and stared at his palm as if he'd only just now realized how Yang had reacted to his touch. His thoughts continued to push by, swirling and spinning uncontrollably in the massive hurricane that was his mind. He vaguely registered a noise behind him but did not respond to it, only sat on his feet and stared down at his hand. Something hit him. It was soft, but large and carried enough force to jar him back into the world. He turned around and found a pillow sitting on the floor next to him. He heard that same noise again as he reached over and picked it up: someone clearing their throat.

"You were right ya know," he heard Qrow say from the couch. "She was attacked by a Grimm."

Tai forced out his response, voice flat, and grey. "How? Where?"

"She brought Ruby to the old cabin after you left this morning. Looking for any sign of her mo- of Raven. I showed up just in time to keep them from getting too beat up." Qrow paused, and let out a single dry huff. "You probably know this somewhere inside that screwed up head of yours but Ruby's pretty crazy. She was asleep the whole time: on the way there, through the fight, even now."

They both sat in silence after Qrow made his statement. "What the fuck am I doing, Qrow?" Tai said after some time.

"Grieving"

"Oh, is that all? This should be easy to deal with, then." Tai attempted a wry smile, standing once he realized that not only did he likely fail, but Qrow couldn't see it anyway.

"At least you've got sarcasm down. And me. You've still got me."

"Lucky me," he said tossing the pillow back into an empty place on the couch, only for it to bounce right onto the floor.

Qrow frowned at the pillow, humming a single, thoughtful note. "Apparently not."

Tai laughed. It was low and weak, but it was genuine. He watched as Qrow bent down to grab the pillow and place it where Tai had thrown it before saying, "What should I do?"

Qrow stood without facing him and straightened his grey dress shirt. "I think you should go. If you stay here, everything is just going to remind you of your sadness. It'd be like using a knife to bandage a stab wound," he said before turning to look at Tai. "Plus, Ozpin usually knows what he's doing. He has a lot of secrets, and his own motives, and he's always tugging at strings, but he's not diabolical. You can trust him, I do." He smiled. "And I'll try not to be a bad influence while you're gone."

Tai said nothing. He only pondered the man's words with a nod and looked away, stalking around the room and into the hallway. He stopped and rested his hand on a door that was slightly ajar, took a deep breath, and pulled it open. It was dark inside the room. Toys lay scattered across the floor. On the dresser beside him sat a rough crayon drawing of three stick figures. A small lump stirred in the bed as he grabbed a nearby stool and made his way toward it. A mop of straight red and black hair poked out from beneath the spread.

He sat and watched her sleep for a moment; she looked so much like Summer he could hardly stand it. He had begun to cry when she rolled over, and her bleary eyes found him.

"Mmhm. Daddy?" she managed before breaking into a yawn.

Tai smiled through his tears. "Hey, baby girl. Did you sleep well?"

The girl slid around and sat up straight, rubbed her face, and yawned again as she nodded. Her bright silver eyes reflected the hallway light when she looked at him and frowned. "Why are you crying Daddy?"

"They're tears of joy, Ruby. Daddy's just really happy to see you."

Ruby's face stretched into grin. "Me too, Daddy!" She raised her arms up to him, waiting.

Tai hesitated before he wrapped his arms around her fragile little frame as gently as he could manage and pulling her to him in a hug as tight as he dared. He buried his face in her hair as much as he could, wetting it with his tears, as she squeezed him with all the might in her tiny arms. They stayed this way for a long moment before he let go and she sat back down. "Listen, Ruby; I have something important to say." He put his hand on her head and rubbed her hair down.

She stared at him with intense focus. "Okay"

He took his hand back and leaned his weight onto his arms as he found her eyes again. "I know I haven't been on my best behavior since Mommy left, and I'm sorry for that. And I'm sorry for this, but Daddy has to go away for awhile. I wish I didn't, but I have something that I have to do, and I need you to do something for me."

Ruby's eyes widened as she listened but she remained silent and focused.

"I need you to be strong while I'm gone. I need you to take care of your sister and keep her out of trouble. Can you do that for me?"

She looked down when he finished speaking. They sat in silence as she took the time she needed to fully understand his words. Her silver eyes burned with determination when she leveled them back on him and said, "promise you'll come back."

The corners of Tai's mouth twitched and his eyes teared up again. "I promise that I will come back."

Ruby grinned again and said, "Okay. Have fun Daddy!"

"Thank you. I will." He poked her cheek and stood to leave. "Now get dressed. Your sister has dinner ready, and your uncle is here."

Her face brightened further. "Uncle Qrow is here!?" she almost screamed and flew from the bed, already dressed, and into the hallway laughing.

Tai watched her go, took one last look around the room and closed the door behind him as he made his way further down the hall to his own room. He flicked the lights on and went around the large bed to the closet, where his duffel bag lay stuffed in the corner, empty. He threw it on the bed, ripped it open and began to pack.


	3. Chapter 1

_It shouldn't be much further, Shen. Keep the pace, level your breathing. Push. Dig._ Dry leaves crunched beneath the boy's feet with each stride, the air burned his lungs with each breath, his hair caught the rays of the morning sun peeking through the leaves and shined gold as it whipped along behind him. _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, nose, mouth, nose, mouth_ , he chanted in silence as a single green eye scanned the forest before him next to its night black counterpart. 'The turn should be coming along any minute now.' His muscles had already gone numb, and a layer of sweat covered his skin that accentuated the chill in the air. His grey tracksuit clung to his body as he ran.

There was little path to speak of this deep in the forest and what was there was covered by the beginnings of fall. The turn he searched for was a tiny branch off to the right, barely even there. It was easy to miss in the clearest of seasons, but he had been running the woods of Patch for years, and he did not often miss these things, even when seeing them for the first time. The path began to go left with the gentlest of leans and there it was: no more than a slightly wider space between two trees at first, but it opened into a game trail down the line and, more importantly, led to a vast clearing.

Shen made ready to tear through the brush as he approached when something caught his eye that didn't quite make sense. He stopped just at the edge. The underbrush lay torn and scattered, thrown heedlessly about and into the trees. The trees themselves leaned, broken and splintered, haphazardly into one another, forming a path akin to a tunnel. He ran his fingers down a massive jagged claw-mark gouged into the tree next to him: whatever had made it had nearly ripped straight through the trunk with one strike. When he pulled his hand away, he found a tiny bit of red on it, and a quick sniff filled his nose with iron. _Blood._

He shot off without a moment's hesitation, following the trail of wreckage as it led him exactly where he already intended to go; exactly where the man he expected to meet should already be. He ran as fast he could manage without losing his footing, paying no heed to whatever he ran into so long as it yielded to his advance. The destruction only worsened as Shen went, though he did not stop to examine it, he could tell that the Grimm had gotten hold of someone and that someone was fighting back as he led them on. Fighting or no, however, they had taken some hits already, and even one Grimm was not to be trifled with if you value your life.

As Shen neared the clearing, he heard the tell-tale sounds of a Huntsman hunting: gunfire and machinery, canine growls and yelps that could only belong to a Beowulf, crashing and banging and no small amount of blade slashing against flesh and bone. He tightened his fists and twitched his wrists as he ran. A large golden bracelet on each arm began to unfold and reshape, like a box releasing an entire holding of self-attachments. A stack of thick plates extended out and locked into place, the band of the bracelet expanded and then again to hold the plates as they covered his arms up to the elbow and then extended a spike past that. Three small silver barrels jutted out of the front, just over his first two knuckles, and chains of small canisters in multiple colors ran through two rails that had opened around the underside of each forearm, followed by the largest plate on top sliding back then snapping forward.

As he burst through the treeline, a series of smaller glossier plates layered their way down his hands and formed into gloves around them. In the clearing, he found four of the most massive, most horrific corruption of a wolf you've ever seen. Each one was more than twice the size of a grown man, with a similarly shaped body, though they only ever walked on all-fours. Their hides were black as the darkest night and littered with patches of bone that had grown as an exoskeleton centered around a viscous red-veined skull. Jagged fangs lined their elongated maws and claws jutted out from their hands and feet, each as long as a dagger.

These Beowulfs were circling a fifth that Shen thought was asleep, barking and snapping at it, until it rose up off the ground in a burst of black smoke. In its place stood a grizzled old salt-and-pepper, a lined broadsword near the size of his own body raised in one hand. The man's name was Qrow. He spun and brought his sword down in a slash that sent the head of the nearest beast rolling before he lined up and dashed at another. The blade went straight through its spine. The fourth Grimm lunged, but Qrow was ready. He jerked his weapon free of its new sheath and whirled into a dance, a tattered red cap flying along behind a gray blur. Each beat left a fresh gash in the Beowulf's belly. Qrow stopped safely at its other end with his sword leveled on the last Grimm, the blade folded down to reveal a short-barreled shotgun. The creature fell dead out of the air as the gun went off with a terrifying bang, elisiting a pained yelp.

Shen stopped running to admire the man's performance. Watching Qrow fight was always a treat: he was one of the best out there. His sword used old technology and lately he'd been drunk every time Shen had seen him (though for some reason no one else ever seemed to see him in that state). However, his skills were exceptional, and luck always seemed to be on his side, even while surrounded by threats with no-one at his back. Shen made to approach the man, congratulate him on his victory when he heard a bark ring out behind him. He jerked around and raised his arm by pure instinct, just in time. The terrible jaws of yet another Beowulf closed around his arm, and the weight of its massive body forced him to the forest floor. How had he missed this one? He'd practically run right by it! Shen braced his shoulder on the ground and held the creature at bay with his trapped arm. Spittle and black blood dripped and splattered onto him as the thing bit down over and over and over, its fangs scraping in vain against the metal gauntlet. Razor-tipped claws slammed into his sides, and he couldn't even hear his own thoughts over the growls. With his free hand, Shen uncurled his fingers and the plating that had covered them retreated. When he reformed his fist the top plate slid and snapped twice more just as his aggressor's fangs found purchase in the folds of his trapped gauntlet. It jerked and twisted and pulled with all its might, wrenching his arm back and forth, as it shoved the rest of him into the ground with its enormous front claws. Through the pain, Shen forced a leg between them and pushed with everything he had. He lifted the Beowulf into the air and set his free arm as best he could to throw a punch. His head swam in red; tears stung his eyes, and a roar filled with rage and fear burned his throat as he threw his attack. His fist connected with black hide, A shot rang out, and a monstrous explosion of flame erupted from the barrels of his gauntlet.

The force launched the Beowulf into the air, its claws ripping into his hand. He felt the heat wrap around his leg and sear through his skin and flesh as it cracked his will. The monster burned as it flew and collided with the ground. Shen's breath scorched his throat and lungs. It came out in labored gasps and coughs and deep, menacing growls. He bared his teeth at the flailing beast as if he were one himself and launched into a Sprint with another hoarse roar. He came down on top of the creature with both of his arms. Metal and fist smashed into monster and claws and fangs ripped into human tissue. Blood both red and black splashed onto the surrounding grass like some kind of sick painting and growls and grunts and howls and screams filled the empty clearing mixed in with the sounds of bone snapping and flesh tearing.

The whole thing was a desperate, bloody mess but lasted only a few short seconds before something heavy rammed into Shen and launched him away from his opponent. He blacked out when he hit the ground.

"Hey. Kid. Wake up."

Shen felt a lite slap on his cheek and opened his eyes to see Qrow staring down at him. He blinked the glare away and groaned, "What happened?"

"You tried to go mano-a-mano with a Beowulf like some kinda idiot, kid. Lose your temper a bit did ya?"

"Yeah. Let's call it that." Shen tried to sit up but found his body in heavy disagreement. "What about the Grimm?"

Qrow sat back on the ground and peered over his shoulder. "I took care of it. Lucky thing, too. Unless you actually wanted it to kill you."

Shen could not see what Qrow was looking at, but he guessed it was something along the lines of his sword sticking out of the ground as the Grimm carcass it was impaling burst into black smoke and drifted away. Qrow practically lived his life around the 'rule of cool' after all. "How bad is it?"

Qrow gave him a quick once-over before replying, "it's not too bad: I patched up all the major problem points so they should be fine once you set your Aura to 'em for a few hours, your suit is in tatters, and one of you gauntlets is broken. Other than that, you got a lot of cuts pretty much everywhere, and your leg is all burnt up. "

"Everything seems to be in order, then. I'm officially not dying."

Qrow smiled down at him in something akin to mockery, "that's the spirit," he said before he stood and left to retrieve his sword. Upon returning, he shoved it into the ground once more and asked, "So, what would you do if I wasn't here and you ended up like this?"

"If you weren't here," Shen snapped with a grin of his own, "I'd not have seen all that blood you left on the trees back there and come running in blind to save your old ass."

"And you saw how necessary that was," Qrow chuckled, tapping a finger on Shen's gauntlet, "at least these little rust buckets can do something right when they work properly."

Shen scoffed, "I should hope so! Ifriita nearly broke my arm the first time I did that with her. I forged her to hit hard and fast and hold nothing back." He felt his strength begin to return and tried again, mostly in vain, to sit up. He managed to succeed only with Qrow's help, and he stared down at himself. His tracksuit was nothing more than torn and grass-stained tatters with one leg seared away below the knee, revealing his blistered skin. He sighed, "what a fantastic day to not bring my greaves too and it feels like that thing tore my arm off."

"You shouldn't have let it catch you then, kiddo." Qrow pulled his sword from the ground. A tug on a long switch near the grip had the cluster of gears at the base whirling and all its many pieces folding and compressing in on themselves until it was no bigger than one of Shen's gauntlets. He gave it a spin and attached it to some contraption at his lower back. "But hey, we both know it's not the worst thing you've been through, and with an Aura like yours you should be fine in a just a few days."

Shen stared at him with a contemplative frown before his mouth stretched slow into a wide grin and he began to exude innocence. "But Uncle Qrow," he said, "I'd imagine you'd be the one complaining about the situation."

Seeing everything about the trap clear as day, Qrow narrowed his eyes down at Shen, "why," he said at length. It was common knowledge among his friends and family that Shen was not to be taken lightly when it came to his sense of humor and how many hopes or dreams it could dash upon the rocks.

"While it should be fairly obvious I suppose I'll explain it to you. See my leg there doesn't seem to be in full working order and walking on it will just make that worse, not to mention these wounds might reopen, especially considering where we're at and how far we need to go." Shen could see the realization begin to dawn on Qrow's face. "And we both know where I have to be in a few days time and going there all twisted up like this would be out of the question, so~."

"So I'm going to have to carry you."

"All the way back home. In time to eat breakfast. And lets not even start with how my dad will feel about this."

Qrow heaved the heaviest sigh Shen had ever heard and nearly folded over as he slumped his shoulders. "Alright, fine. Let's go."

* * *

"So what do you think it's gonna be, kid?"

"Hmm. I think it's Dad's turn to cook, so it's probably just gonna be a bunch of burnt poison."

Qrow burst into laughter. Shen felt his shoulders shake with it. "Yeah, you're probably right," said the man, "but he tries at least. There was once a time when he wouldn't even eat something to stay alive let alone cook it."

The two had been talking non-stop, mostly in the form of insults and banter, all the way from the clearing but now silence fell between them. Shen listened to Qrow's heavy footsteps crunch on the leaves as he thought of how things were back then. "I remember," he finally said, "he was like that when he found me." He let out a single, sharp laugh, "he wouldn't even look at me the first time we met until I cracked one of his ribs. I was like a vicious little Grimm back then."

"You're still a viscous Grimm, kid. Only thing that's changed is you've gotten bigger. Barely."

Shen pouted at the jab but only for a moment before he reached up and flicked Qrow hard on the nose.

"Agh! You little brat!"

Shen just laughed and laughed and kept laughing until Qrow let go of his good leg and shoved an elbow right into his ribs. He made some unintelligible noise and stopped right quick. "That wasn't very nice."

Qrow snickered low and quiet. "So sorry, it was an accident," he said, "I suggest you take up a formal complaint with the head of household." And sure enough, the treeline came to an abrupt halt at the edge of a large clearing; this one made not by nature but by the hands of man. The trees formed a perfect circle around the side, and the freshly cut grass shined green throughout. In the center rose a sizeable multiroom-mansion of a log cabin, complete with porch and flower garden and glass doors and chimney and what-have-you. The two of them were in a spot that had been emptied of everything but the soft dirt floor to serve as a place for training and sparing. Qrow adjusted Shen on his back and made his way around to the front door.

After a moment of Thought Shen spoke up once more, "I don't think that'd be the best idea considering how he's gonna react to my current appearance. Which I'm sure you aren't getting out of either."

Qrow froze in place just at the top of the stairs leading to the beautiful polished and painted front door. His eyes grew wide in revelation, and he nearly spat out his words, "oh shit. You're right," just before whirling around. He took all of one step when the door swung open. In it stood TaiYang, his rough face scrunched up and his blue eyes flashing behind his light-blonde mop. Qrow froze once more at the sound and turned back around with exaggerated sloth.

Both of them gifted Tai with their best sheepish grin, but he remained unimpressed, crossing his thick arms over the white apron hanging from his neck. "Both of you inside. Now," he said and stepped aside for them to pass, staring them each into the ground as they went.

Qrow deposited Shen, without ceremony, onto the couch. "Look Tai. It's not as bad as it lo-"

"Be quiet. Sit."

And he did so without hesitation.

Tai closed the door and stalked over to them, looming like some merciless tyrant about to end the life of a useless subordinate. He looked Shen over with a tireless glare, no doubt making a note of each and every little thing that should not be the way it is: his burnt up boot and pants and blistered skin, the rips and stains and claw-marks on the entirety of the outfit, his broken gauntlet( that would not return to its storage mode despite all of Shen's efforts), and the dried blood all over his whole body.

Shen gave Tai another grin when their eyes locked. "It really isn't that bad."

Despite the limitations placed by whatever physical laws might bind it, the space between them grew even heavier than it already was before Tai spoke. "What happened?"

"Uhh," Shen looked at Qrow, who quickly found something else far more interesting, the bastard. He looked back at Tai and decided on the spot that he had done nothing wrong. He straightened his back and lifted his chin. "I got jumped by a Beowulf out in the forest while trying to save Uncle Qrow from its pack."

"Like I needed saving," Qrow immediately chimed in.

"Right, I suppose it was some other Huntsman who's Aura was broken, and he still had five Grimm to fight off."

"I'm pretty sure it was that one kid that almost got killed by a single Grimm. What was his name again?

Shen twisted as best he could, making to grab hold of the collar on Qrow's shirt and give him a good beating. Qrow responded immediately with a readied fist of his own.

"That's enough!" Tai barked, "Shen Hong Xiao Long sit down!" he bellowed, and both of them went back to their respective sides of the couch. "Why were you in the forest, Shen? You're going to Beacon in two days. You don't think there are some things a bit more important?"

"What's more important than being a better Huntsman?"

Tai's face softened instantly, his frown did not disappear but just changed, and Shen could now see bags under his eyes. He sighed, "plenty." Shen became quite curious about this sudden shift and was about to ask after it when Tai continued with his usual authority, "Breakfast for one thing. For which, you're both rather late. Get into the kitchen and eat. How is that burn?"

Both of them stood from the couch together, and Qrow quickly made his way to the kitchen in a silence that was broken by a high feminine scream as soon as the door opened. Shen stood with Tai and tested his burned leg. "It looks like my Aura's already taken care of the nasty bits. My cuts are all fine too, but the real problem is here on Ifriita: she's practically wailing at me."

"Good. Get rid of that boot and put your weapon away. And don't forget to wash all that blood off. And change out of those clothes while you're at it."

He seemed prepared to go on and on, and on so Shen just turned away saying, "yeah yeah I know how to clean up," but Tai caught him on the shoulder and spun him around into a quick hug.

Tai patted down a strand of Shen's hair and smiled. "I'm glad you're ok. Now hurry up, your sisters are already eating," he said before he made his own way to the kitchen.

Shen said nothing but turned strode into the hallway and toward his room. The restroom door was open with the light on. When Shen glanced inside to shut it off, he noticed that he had a smile on his face that he just couldn't seem to get rid of.

* * *

As per tradition, meals were either dull or riotous in the Xiao Long household. With Qrow present this particular breakfast would likely become chaotic to an extreme. By the time Shen entered the kitchen in his jeans and v-neck, each had barely actually eaten anything. The first thing Shen saw was Yang cooking while Tai sat at the table looking slightly defeated with head in hands and his apron bunched up on the floor. Shen then noticed the smell and sizzle of bacon on a hot skillet filling the room. Ruby shot off words at Qrow like a Gatling-gun as Shen approached the plate that had been laid out for him and Qrow did his best to follow along. Shen picked up his fork and poked at a rather unappetizing blackened lump. "Hmmm," he mused before tossing the fork down, "what is this stuff?"

"Burnt poison," came the deadpan reply from Yang and she glanced over at him with a knowing smile. Shen returned it then they both glanced at Qrow who glanced at them with his own smile and they all three looked to Tai who merely groaned, though Shen could swear he heard to the man say something along the lines of 'shut up' a bit too quiet for the rest of them.

Ruby stopped bombarding Qrow and turned wide, silver eyes on them. "What is it?"

"Nothing, squirt," said Qrow and took a bite of his 'food,' "tell me more about this scythe."

"Oh, right! I'm thinking of naming it SUPER-MEGA-DEATHBLADE-GUN! or Crescent Rose. Ya know, whichever."

Shen shifted his attention and patted Tai on the shoulder as he moved past, "at least you tried. Unfortunately, we aren't so easy to get rid of." This time Tai definitely said it. Shen stooped down to the glossy tiles and retrieved the apron before walking over to Yang and ensuring he was unnecessarily deep inside her personal space, peered over her shoulder. There were, in fact, two skillets sitting on the stove: one with bacon crispy and curled, the other with a large lump of scrambled eggs. He tugged on the tank top that she had worn to bed, and when she ignored him, he moved to the other shoulder and tugged on one of her lengthy golden pigtails. When she continued to ignore him, he said, "That's edible right?"

Without hesitation, Yang spun around, bacon still sizzling in the skillet and the skillet still held tight in her hand.

"Shit!" Shen jerked out of the way, just barely avoiding catastrophe.

Yang narrowed her eyes and smirked, "hot pan, watch out," she said and began to distribute the strips to each plate after Shen deposited the current contents into the trash. She did not acknowledge his indignance until she returned to the stove and grabbed up the eggs. "Don't be mad at me. I said hot pan."

"Yes, I heard. It's clearly my fault for reacting slowly," Shen said as he stalked around the table and lowered himself into his seat.

"Clearly." Yang made her rounds again, distributing the eggs evenly onto each plate, replaced the empty skillet onto the stove and took her own seat next to Shen. She froze and stared at her food a moment, then at Shen's, that at Shen himself chewing on a piece of bacon. "Is that mine?"

Shen stopped and cut his eyes at her. "No~."

Without even a drop of hesitation, Yang dove. Before Shen could react, she swiped two strips from him and stuffed them into her mouth.

"Hey."

"Cry about it."

"Would you like that?"

"I think I would."

"Well," Shen began reaching a hand slowly toward her, "you keep being cruel to me like this and I just might." She raised a brow as he laced fingers with hers and gave her hand a little squeeze paired with his best convincing smile.

Yang knew the smile. Shen knew that Yang knew the smile. They both knew that it was one hundred and ten percent fake. She turned away and continued to eat and, in turn, he did the same. On the surface, each appeared calm and content with the conversation while below the table a fierce battle had begun: a game of single-hand mercy was raging, with either side focusing all the might they could muster into forcing the other's hand into the most awkward and painful position possible. They pushed and pushed, their forearms shaking from the strain, neither side yielding an inch. Yang was always ready to compete with Shen, even if she was three years his junior and hardly ever stood a chance, but he sometimes went easy on her whether she wanted him to or not.

"You two are so cute," Qrow said, as he rested his chin on the back of his hand. Ruby had stopped speaking at some point, and they were both watching Yang and Shen attempt to hide the latest show of their rivalry.

"Yeah yeah, we're pretty, and you're jealous. Deal with it." He could feel the muscles in his face twitch with the strain. He began to regret starting this game as he was still quite drained from his earlier ordeal. Yang, however, appeared to be wholly in the zone. As if on queue, she flashed him a grin and pressed him harder. _You've done it now, boy. Never gonna hear the end of this one._ With great reluctance, Shen released Yang's hand, securing his defeat.

Yang threw her arm over her chair-back and finished off her food without taking her triumphant gaze off him for even a moment.

Shen rubbed his wrist and made a show of pretending she wasn't there as he, likewise, finished eating. "So. What do you want?"

"Hm? What was that?" Yang tilted an ear closer to him.

"Enough of that-You heard me. We run the same deal every time, and you won. So, what. Do. You. Want?"

Yang took a moment to savor the victory, as if it somehow took Shen admitting it to make it official, and then frowned to herself thoughtfully. She must have come up with an excellent idea because after hardly any time at all she gasped and grabbed his arm, barely containing her excitement. "Let me wear Ifriita!" she said, "it doesn't have to be the whole thing, just the gauntlets. please~!"

Shen frowned. "Oh. Uhm. I can't. I broke her this morning, and it'll take me some time to fix the damage." The sight of Yang's excitement deflating put a fist in his gut. Despite how they acted toward one another, Shen loved his sisters and hated saying no to them. "But listen, I'm gonna fix her up by tonight, and you can play with her tomorrow."

Yang jumped out of her seat. "Yes! You hear that Sis!? SIS!"

Ruby, once again attacking Qrow with stories and questions, stopped and looked at Yang. "What?"

"Shen's gonna let me use Ifriita tomorrow!"

Ruby gasped jumped out of her own seat just like Yang, "can I-"

Tai slammed his fist on the table. "No!" The whole room just stared at him. He sighed and more gently said, "I'm sorry Ruby, you're still not old enough."

Ruby pouted a bit and sank back into her seat. "Fine."

Tai stood and wiped his hands with a napkin. "Now if we're all done eating, Girls, go get dressed. I need you two to run into town and pick up a few things. Shen, clean up before you get to work on your weapon. Qrow, since you're here, we need to have a chat." And with that, breakfast was over.

* * *

Tai stood leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, eyes boring a hole into Qrow who leaned on the table across from him in a strikingly similar manner and pulled a small silver flask from his blouse.

"When did you start drinking again?"

Qrow popped the lid and took a swig before he pointed at Tai, opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and said, "none of your business," instead.

Tai sighed. "Tell me what happened in the forest this morning. Include all of the details."

"Tell me why you don't want your kids to be Huntsman first."

"You know why."

"No, I know the most obvious reason you would have, but I also know you, and I know that there's more to it than that."

"There's not!" but Qrow did not relent, pressing him silently with a hard glare. Tai growled and jerked his eyes down to the sink on his left. Silence fell between them; not until Qrow took another drink from his flask did Tai finally break it. "It's not that I don't want my kids to be Huntsman.," He said at length. "Shen's already halfway there, He's strong and talented, keeps a level head, and he's seen enough to make his own choices. I taught both him and Yang how to handle themselves and Yang... I don't know... Yang can take a hit well enough that I don't need to worry about her too much anymore and I think what happened those years ago seemed to put things into perspective for her. After she had some time to think about it, she really started to calm down, not that I made it any easier. Hell, she's practically more of an adult than either of us already." Tai stopped to take a deep breath. "Ruby, though. She's too eager, too ready to go out and be the hero. What happened with Summer was," his breath hitched, "was horrible and Ruby felt it just as bad as the rest of us, but she was so young. She is still so young, and she doesn't know how hard life can be as a Huntress, how different it is from all the glamour she sees when she looks at you or me or Shen."

Qrow took another drink as Tai finished and put the flask away. He did not speak right away, not until he stood from the table and began to pace the kitchen. "It was a pack of Beowulfs. Not a big one, but still bigger than it should've been, here on Patch. Something was weird about the way they were acting, too: they didn't just charge in all claws and teeth and spit like others would. They hid from me, surrounded me before attacking. Shit, Shen practically ran right by the one that gave him all those marks, and he didn't notice it until it was already on top of him."

Tai leveled a surprised gaze on the man. "What? How could a Grimm possibly avoid Shen's notice?" Ridiculous. It was ridiculous to even consider anything at all doing that.

"I don't know. That's not all either: the way they fought, it was rough and unpracticed, but they were... smart about it. Teamwork, tactics, strategy, and I couldn't shake the feeling that they had prepared a trap for me, specifically."

Maybe it was an old pack? Grimm do get smarter as they grow older, remember."

"Nah, Grimm gotta be strong to survive that long, and they get stronger as they age on top of that. These were no more powerful than any other Beowulfs, just smarter." Qrow stopped pacing and scratched at a spot in his hair. "Argh. It makes no sense."

"Maybe Ozpin knows something."

"Maybe. I'm gonna go to Beacon today and ask him."


	4. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE \- *The final scene of the previous version of this chapter has been moved to the next chapter and replaced by a newly written scene for pacing purposes***

"Alright Yang, just slip your hand in right here, and don't move." Shen held one of his bracelets out to her. She did as he instructed and he pressed a button on the bracelet's underside. The outside edge extended out and twisted left, then right, chirping and beeping softly like some robot. "And here." They repeated the process on her other arm. As the outer rings moved about, the inner circles folded and condensed, tightening itself onto Yang's wrists.

Yang watched Ifriita work with intense curiosity. "What are they doing?"

"Calibrating to the size and shape of your arms for a perfect fit," Shen said with a hint of pride. "I finished adding the feature just yesterday so that other people could use her if the need arose." He knelt down and made to adjust a similar looking pair of anklets attached to his boots. What he didn't say was that he had started designing it a year ago when she began to show an interest in the variations he'd made on Tai's fighting style. The bracelets completed their function and retracted back into place, both decidedly smaller than when they had started.

"Hmm. Whats with the color?" she asked, turning her arms slowly back and forth. The bracelets caught the sunlight as she did, reflecting red over the gold metal where it hit directly.

Shen looked up from his task. "What? Oh. I thought I'd try out a new finish since I did all that work yesterday. Do you like it?"

Yang grinned and nodded vigorously. A strand of her wild hair fell free of the loose ponytail she had rushed it into earlier and hung ignored as she became more and more enamored with Ifriita by the second. "Yeah! It'll look good with your favorite outfit."

"That's the idea." His hair dangled over his shoulder in a similar -yet less rushed- ponytail. It had grown straight and smooth his whole life, so he'd always found it much easier to manage (a fact that he was eternally grateful for).

Yang continued to hold her arms outstretched before her, afraid to do anything that might break the weapon and screw her chances of finally using it. "Are you done down there yet?" she said, a bit tightly.

"Nope," Shen Said as he stood. "Alright now for the switches." He took one of her hands and turned it over. A quick press of another button had a section of the bracelet sliding back to reveal a compartment with a set of small pads inside. Shen pulled them out, slipped Yang's short fingered glove right off her hand, and began placing the pads onto various parts of the extremity.

Yang watched him work with wide eyes. "Are these how you control her?"

"That's right. Now pay attention 'cause I'm gonna explain what each does and I might not do it twice." He isolated a square pad and stuck it to the middle section of her pinky finger on the outside, speaking as he did so. "This one will transform Ifriita from the mode she's in now into her combat mode. Just press it with your thumb to work it." Next, he pulled out another square and stuck it to the middle section of her ring finger, also on the outside, "this one will extend and retract the dust absorbing plating that will cover your hands and augment your strikes when you fire a round, also activated with the thumb." Then came a smaller square that went on the inside of her pinky at its base, "this one will feed a round from the standby track, that's the one closer to your elbow, each time you press it. Work it however you can, but I use the tip of my pinky. If for some reason the standby track has an empty spot in the feed then it will automatically rotate either twelve times or until it can feed a round. Also, if you hold it down when you fire it will auto load the next shell from the standby track instead of the ready track- the one closer to your wrist." He placed a large rectangular one on the side and inside of her index knuckle, "this one rotates the standby track one space each time you press it. Its two different button that you must press at the same time to activate it but It works fine if you make a fist and hold one down then press the other with your thumb as needed." Finally came another small square that went just below the center of her palm, on the curve of her thumb muscle, "this is called the choke holding it down with your ring or middle finger while you make a fist will allow you to punch without firing off the chambered rounds. This one and the feeding switch are at a low sensitivity, so you really have to press them to get a result."

The pads had no wires and seemed to stick to Yang more like magnets than adhesive. She studied them, silently reciting everything Shen was telling her. "What are these? How do they stay on?" she asked once he finished. Shen pressed the small button on the bracelet again and the compartment closed. As it did the five pads on Yang's hand changed to the color of her skin, causing her to add, "and what was that?"

Shen had moved on to her other hand. "I'm not entirely sure what they're made of, to be honest; I ordered them from Atlas un-programed. They communicate with Ifriita wirelessly and react to Aura, so they'll stick to you normally but are impossible to remove as long as you have it up. The shift in color means that they've activated."

"Oh~. Neat!"

Shen just smiled and glanced at her while she stared at her hand. Neither spoke again for a moment until he'd activated the second set of switches. "Alright," he said, handing Yang her gloves, "put these back on -yes over the switches- and let's see that transformation."

Yang complied and pressed the switch on each hand. Ifriita jerked into action immediately, repeating its mechanical process of extending plates and padding and components. Yang jumped at the sudden response, staggered a bit off balance even though the weapon was perfectly balanced itself and exerted no outside forces on the body until fired. A snap of the top plate told them a round was chambered and the transformation complete. Yang stood frozen awkwardly in something between standing and falling. Shen slowly grinned at her, and she glanced between the gauntlets before she grinned back.

A distant squeal drew their attention to the cabin. Ruby was jumping up and down on an uncovered wooden deck, her pajama pants and top and short red-black hair all bounced along after her. They both waved, Ifriita looking a bit too large on Yang's skinny arms.

The wind picked up and blew orange and brown leaves off the trees around them. "Alright, what's next?" Yang said brushing the loose hair out of her face.

"Now we're gonna do a function check, to make sure each of the functions is working properly -hence the name.- First, press the remaining buttons twice each, in the order that I put them on. Good. Now, pull each of the top plates back to make sure the shells eject. Six un-fired shells on the bare ground. Gooood. Now, hold the fire choke and throw a punch at one of those trees. Alright. Two punches, no discharges. Good." Yang could barely contain her excitement anymore, and Shen had a pretty good idea why. He gave her a knowing smile, "Now, what's next little sis?"

"Firing a round!?"

"Firing a round."

Yang grinned big and bright. "Where should I put them?"

"How 'bout you hit that tree there, so you won't hit anything important if it goes wide. Do you remember what I've been telling you?"

Yang nodded, squared up to the indicated tree, raised her fists, and took a breath. Shen took a long slow step around behind her, observing her actions, and scanning her head to toe. He marked her stance, her angle, her center, her breathing. "Whenever you're ready," he said, and Yang acted instantly. She tossed a quick jab. The shot rang out.

Yang didn't expect as much recoil as she got. It threw her back hard, straight into Shen's waiting hands. She hung from them like a dead weight, staring at the bullet hole in what appeared to be shock. "Holy hell! Did you see that!?"

"Are you ok?" Shen said, holding her by her under-arms like she weighed nothing.

Yang jumped out of his hands, whirled around to him, and jabbed a finger at the tree. "Did you see that!?" she almost screamed.

"Yes, I saw. It was a clean hit; your aim is nice."

Yang barked out a laugh and looked back to the tree, absolutely glowing with excitement. "That was awesome! Dad did you see that!?" They turned their attention to the deck where Tai lounged in a cushioned chair, a pair of aviator sunglasses hanging on his nose and Ruby attempting to bring his attention to Yang's handiwork rather intensely.

Tai presented them with an upturned thumb and yelled back, "good job honey," before he turned to the little girl and began to entertain her.

Yang turned back to the tree still all giggles and grins and squared on it again. Shen returned to his place behind her and said, "alright now the other hand. How about you do something really impressive and hit the same spot this time?"

Yang glanced in his direction, still trying to concentrate on the shot. "What're you gonna give me if I make it?"

"I'll tell you how much of a good girl you are."

"How 'bout you just stop being such a creep for ten minutes?"

"Yeah, that works. Go on, then."

Yang flexed her fingers and remade her fists, found her focus once more, and took the shot. The burning red projectile sailed through the air into the tree, just a few inches to the left of the previous hit. She let out a huff. "Dammit!"

Shen whistled. "Almost. Do you know what you did wrong?"

"I didn't do anything wrong. Your stuff is just busted!"

"You know that's not true."

"Is so!"

"Alright. Give them back, and I'll see if I can't fix it."

Yang threw her arms behind her and gave him a defiant sneer. "No."

"Then stance up so I can tell you what you did wrong! Chop chop."

She narrowed her eyes and growled quiet enough that she likely thought he hadn't heard her. "Fine," she said before turning on the tree a third time.

"Your feet are slightly off," Shen said, jumping into action immediately, and pushing it a few inches with his own foot. "This will limit your ability to absorb recoil and could potentially misalign your center which will affect your aim." he began a slow stride around her as she stood stock still, tracking him with her eyes alone. "Your breathing is good, keep doing it that way." He poked her stomach in a few different spots, she grunted, but he ignored it and continued by lifting one of her arms a bit higher. "Try it now," he said, having finally stopped behind her once again.

This time the shot never came. Yang threw her punch, but in place of a bang, there was only a click. "What the hell?" She made to take another shot, but Shen caught her arm.

"Wait," he said, "What does it mean when it does that?"

"Umm, it's jammed?"

"That's one possibility. Check if you can pull the top plate back and see what that does."

"Okay." Yang tugged on the plate as hard as she could. "It's stuck." She tried again to no avail. Shen moved to do it himself when he noticed Tai attempting to gain his attention. The man was on his Scroll waving Shen over, Ruby nowhere to be seen.

"Let me see it." Shen tested the plate, and it was indeed stuck. He considered it a moment, turning it this way and that. After some time he said, "hold still," and she did so, watching as he pulled her arm straight, grabbed Ifriita at the back, and slammed the heel of his palm into the front of the plate. It jerked back, and a red shell flew out from beneath it. Shen let the plate slide forward slowly to ensure that it grabbed and chambered the next shell properly, then he bent down and grabbed the one off the ground. It was crunched and scratched beyond use. "That's weird," he said, pocketing the item, "I guess I missed something yesterday, but it shouldn't be much of a problem. I'll look at it later. Here-"

He pulled two belts of twelve shells out of his pocket and handed them to her. "Keep practicing while I go talk to Dad. Remember what we just talked about and use these to reload if you run out."

"What happened?" concern wrapped tight around the first thing Tai asked Shen as he approached the wooden deck.

"Just a jam. Nothing big," Shen said, presenting the destroyed shell. "It did a number on this thing, though." Tai gave the shell a hard look, but Shen couldn't really tell if it was more for the shell or from whatever he heard on his Scroll.

No amount of straining his ears got Shen any more information than that it was Qrow on the other end, speaking in a low and hushed voice, so he waited by making a show of watching Yang fire round after round at the trees. When he heard the chime of the call ending, he turned back to Tai. "So?"

Tai did not look at him, nor answer right away. His eyes suggested he was watching Yang as well. Once his Scroll was safely back in his pocket, however, he finally addressed the question. "Qrow is in Vale right now. When you get off the transport tomorrow, you have to find him first thing. He should be at the station."

Shen's creased his brow. "But what about my flight to Beacon?"

"You'll still make the flight, but you're gonna do it with your Uncle."

Shen only ended up with more question from this answer. "That doesn't make any sense. I don't need an escort to go to school, Dad."

"This isn't up for debate, Shen."

"But-"

"JUST DO IT!" Tai roared, staring the boy down.

Shen took a moment to observe Tai's demeanor: the unyielding glare, the hard set in his jaw and shoulders, how his hands clenched into tight fists. He decided that whatever was going on, he was not about to get any answers, and said, "okay. Fine. I'll find Uncle Qrow and let him take me to school. Is there anything else?"

"No. Yang needs your help again."

Shen lingered a moment before turning away and stalking back into the dirt. He heard Tai stomp across the deck and the door slam; he heard Yang cursing under her breath as she fumbled with one of the reload belts. Without a word, Shen took the belt in one hand and the gauntlet in the other. Two buttons and a dropped empty belt later, he broke the silence. "Watch your language, Yang. You're still a child, it's unbecoming or whatever... There, ready to rock."

When he looked up from Ifriita, Yang was watching him again; more like observing him, trying to absorb as much information as she could. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. Yang lifted a single brow at him. He sighed through his nose. "So, do you wanna keep doing this, or do you wanna move on?"

The brow stayed up. "Move on, I guess."

Shen grinned, huge and mischevious. He lifted a heel and slammed it back down. The anklet bolted to life. It expanded and extended, locked plating into place and tapered into a vicious spike at the top. When it was all done, the thing had become a shining greave that covered his leg all around from his knee to half-way down the top of his foot. Yang stared, slack-jawed at the nasty edge that stretched down the middle of the front plate as Shen stomped his other foot and said, "Good choice."

* * *

"Don't look so down, kid, you're gonna hurt my feelings." Qrow held his arms behind his head as he walked, frowning down at his nephew walking along beside him through the grey streets of Vale.

Shen spun his shoulders to give a passer-by room. "Good," he said; short, not-so-sweet, to the point. He'd had his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans since arriving from Patch, and walked with enough of a slouch that Qrow had already commented on it twice.

"There's no need to be that way. I know you think this isn't necessary, but, trust me, it is."

Shen shot a glance at the man and cocked a brow. "Why?"

"You already know I can't tell you that." Qrow reached into his vest and removed the small silver flask he always carried with him, continuing as he unscrewed the top. "Just worry about not tripping and breaking your neck before you get to the ship and everything will be fine."

"Whatever." The sidewalk spread back into an awning littered with tables and chairs, and full of people breaking their fast. Shen shifted over behind Qrow to squeeze in between these new obstacles, and cut his eyes at one group with a member who's laugh was particularly obnoxious.

The damage had been done, though, and the conversation ended. Shen retreated into his mind, wracking it for any possible clue he might have missed that could tell him why this was happening, but every single little thing distracted him beyond reason, especially the sounds of all the people around them coming and going with talk of their new purchases or what they planned to purchase or what they had on the agenda or whatever gossip was making the rounds.

Even the glint of the sun on Ifriita, as it retreated and emerged from behind the enormous stone and concrete buildings lining the street tugged at his senses. Fed up, Shen pulled in all of his senses at once, and scanned back through his memories with a fine-tooth comb, even going so far as to letting down his Aura so he could concentrate more. During this time, Shen only vaguely noticed each of the five more times Qrow pulled out his flask, and he almost ran straight into seven different people. He barely even registered the sound or feel of his own boots hitting the concrete, and all for less than zero payoff: he could find nothing in him that he'd picked up on. These people knew him and they knew how to hide things from him.

Something jarred Shen back to the outside. He shook his head, looked around, and then at Qrow. "What?"

Qrow cut a glance at him and sighed. "Like I was saying, kid, I'm sorry it has to be this way, I really am. You're not stupid. I know you know that something is going down, and hopefully, you haven't figured out what it is, but-" he hesitated, scratching at his chin, "Arrggh. Alright, I'll tell you what I can, but-" he paused again, ensuring he had Shen's full attention, "you have to promise that you won't pursue this any further."

Shen straightened up and pulled his hands out of his pockets. "I promise."

"Okay." Qrow threw a quick glance around them. "There's been a sharp rise in criminal activity lately, especially kidnappings, especially kidnapping of young, prospective Huntsman and Huntresses. Your dad got worried when I told him yesterday and asked me to make sure you got to school safely."

Shen narrowed his eyes. "That's it?"

"Thaaat's it."

"And there's been no progress in catching them?"

"None."

"How many have been taken?"

"You promised you wouldn't pursue this, kid."

Shen frowned. "Right." he hung on every word his Uncle said; poked and prodded them for any sort of unintentional deeper meaning. "But why is it so important that I not get involved?"

Qrow tensed up, ground out another sigh, and pulled out his flask again. Just as he lifted it to his mouth, a crash rang from the alley they'd just passed. Both whirled around in time to see a Huntsman dressed all in black skidding along the ground toward the oncoming traffic. Qrow reacted first. He launched toward the man, threw out his hand, and grabbed him by the arm. The Huntsman moved with such force that his legs whipped around at the sudden stop, nearly pulling Qrow off his feet, but disaster remained averted.

With Qrow already moving on the Huntsman, Shen shot toward the alley. He stopped, slid the last few inches into the wall and peeked around the corner in time to see the glint of light on steel disappearing around a corner. "Someone just ran off on the right side. They still have their weapon out." Two thumb flicks and tapped heels had Ifriita expanding right up to the rolled sleeves of his red denim jacket, making ready to play games with whoever felt jumpy. Shen laced his fingers to push his gloves down and crack his knuckles; then he tapped the two rectangular cases that hung strapped tight to his hips to make sure they were still there. He shot a look at Qrow, saw the Huntsman glance at him, then back at Qrow and nod.

Shen wondered at that but brought his gaze back to the alley. "Is he hurt?"

"He's fine."

"Then let's go get this mother fucker." Shen made to set off after the glint. He heard footsteps behind him and Qrow's signature clockwork sword springing to life as he expected. What he didn't expect was to be grabbed on the shoulder, jerked back and to see Qrow standing firm between him and the rest of the alley.

Qrow, sword in hand and grim of face, frowned down at Shen. "The only place you're going is to school."

"But-"

"No buts! Whoever that was, he just took on a licensed Huntsman, more than a match for you. On top of that, he could be one of these knew criminals we just talked about, and I know I'm still on the young side, but you're exactly what they're looking for, and even if you were on top of your game right now that Huntsman needs help getting to Beacon so he can report to Ozpin."

Shen could not believe his ears. He ground his teeth and scrunched his face into a snarl. "What the hell makes you think I'm off my game?"

"Because you haven't even re-engaged your Aura."

Qrow was right. Shen hated it, but the man was right. Every moment Shen spent thinking pumped more and more truth into Qrows words. With great reluctance, and a deep, slow breath, he straightened and turned away. "Fine. To Beacon." He heard shoes clacking on the concrete, Qrow was already running down the alley.

* * *

Qrow barreled down the alley, red cape snapping and broadsword held stiff in the air behind him. The clack of his shoes on the concrete echoed off the high brick walls, and the smell of cold stone dominated the wind as it blew past. Yards ahead ran another man, arms, and legs plated over in shining silver metal. At the far end of the alley, vehicles rushed back and forth on the street next to the morning's heavy foot traffic. Qrow's query shot a quick glance over his shoulder as he came upon the sidewalk, just before leaping over all the people right into the street. He traveled through the air with a fancy little flip, braided black hair weaving after him like a tail, and onto the hood of a large delivery truck. He pounced all the way into the far alley just as the driver slammed his brakes. The vehicle skidded, the back end careened off into a small four-door in the oncoming lane, and another truck behind it couldn't stop into time to avoid it. The air filled with the sounds of breaking glass, people screaming, squealing tires, crunching steel, and car horns.

Qrow gritted his teeth and veered into the brick wall. Three quick steps had him up the side, at the corner and vaulting onto the top of the second truck. He shoved his sword behind the passenger side door and pried it open with a loud snap. Inside, the driver sat staring wide-eyed and heaving massive gulps of air, hands gripping the wheel in a vice.

"Are you hurt?" Qrow asked him. The man did not respond. "Hey! Over here!" Qrow slapped the truck, and the man finally turned his head. "Are you hurt?" Qrow bit off every word and moved on as soon as the man shook his head.

The process proceeded relatively the same with the next truck; the female driver had a few small scratches from the glass of her broken window. Qrow turned to see a group of people already working to pull the last passenger from the four-door. Then he jumped down into the alley and ran after his, now very much gone, target.

Qrow stopped at a cross intersection and shot glances down each of the paths. Nothing. In any of them. Dammit. He took a slow breath. His hand twitched his skin itched, and a headache started creeping up on him. "Shit!" He tried in vain to swallow the drought out of his throat. He was reaching toward the pocket inside his shirt when he saw something on one of the walls. Claw marks cut deep into the brick at one of the corners.

Qrow tightened his hand into a fist and began walking. "Might as well come out." He called into the dark, clutter-filled space. "You and I both know you've never been one for running. Or hiding." But he got no response beyond sounds of city life, so he continued, scanning the doors and windows, and stopped halfway down the strip with a groan and a scratch of his head. He turned to head back when a dog decided it would be a great time to start barking at something. He groaned again and pressed two fingers to his brow, but the just would not stop its damned barking.

There came a deep thud and a high yelp, and no small amount of dust shook loose from the building next to him. The barking shifted to meek whimpering, and Qrow saw the mangy dog back-peddling through the intersection from his left, tail tucked and nose to the ground. Qrow cocked an eyebrow as he watched the same man he'd been chasing step out, scowling down at the dog. He stomped at it, and it yelped again before fleeing toward the crash. As the man spun around and disappeared around the corner, Qrow caught sight of something small and black in his hand he hadn't had before.

Qrow stood there a moment longer before springing into a run. He rounded the corner and slid to a halt. The man was bent over a box, the tips of his short maroon coat-tails dangled into a small puddle. He ran the steel covering his hand over the object he held -now noticeably a scruffy little kitten- with deliberate gentleness, the sharp claw that tipped each finger failing to cause any more harm than they would if the creature itself were made of steel. The man glanced at Qrow and placed the kitten in the box before rising to his feet.

Qrow hooked his pocket with his thumb and leaned on his sword like a cane. "Like I said, not one for hiding."

The man made a point of paying too much attention to a stray thread on his coat. He sliced it off with one of his fingers and flicked it away. "It's your fault the stupid mut showed up in the first place." His chocolate smooth voice rumbled through the air between them. "Likely your fault I ended up hiding right next to a box of kittens right as the stupid mut showed up." He pinned Qrow with a pair of crystal blue eyes and gestured. "Just know the whole thing is your fault. Congratulations, your Semblance saves you from failure yet again."

Qrow made an effort to hide his smirk. "Why are you here, Tiger?"

"Funny you should ask." Tiger splayed his fingers toward Qrow with the palm down, brows high on his forehead. "See, I just recently found myself under pursuit from some old washed up bandit-turned-Huntsman, and not exactly in the best position to be watching where I was going. Wierd, I know." He moved his hand to the box. "Then I found this here group of poor defenseless little kittens, and that big mean dog came around to scare them to death. I had to do something, right?"

"I'm sure they're very grateful to you." Qrow pulled his sword and took a few steps forward. "And I'm sure this Huntsman -whoever he is- is long gone. So why not tell me why you're in Vale, where you've been these past years, and I'll see if I might be able to help ya out."

Tiger frowned. He turned away a began to pace with a few light scratches to the chin. "A generous offer, I must say." He glanced at Qrow and stopped, now on the opposite side of the alley than where he'd been. "I believe I must refuse, however. I have business that must be attended to immediately, and simply don't have the luxury of the time it would take to explain your presence to my associates. You understand."

"Hm. Yeah, I get it. You learned nothing from your run in with Tai, and you're still up to no good."

Tiger smiled. "Ah, Tai. I'd almost forgotten about him." He looked up to the sky for a few moments. "Speaking of, what did he do with my son? The boy is not in Mistral anymore, that much I know."

Qrow's brow knitted together, and his jaw ground tight. "I don't know. Tai brought him to Vacuo and cut him loose. He could be anywhere, maybe even a graveyard."

"That is in poor taste, Qrow. Very poor taste. I'll have you know I still care for the boy a great deal despite his betrayal, and would ask that you not make such jokes."

"I'll keep it in mind."

Tiger gave a slow nod. He looked at the box of kittens, where his eyes lingered, and turned to leave. "Well, I really must be going now. It was good to see you again, Qrow, do give my regards to Tai."

Qrow watched the man walk; Scanned his whole person; Scrutinized every single little detail for any sign. He tightened and relaxed his grip, pulled in a deep breath and released it, put a spring in his knees and bent into a low stance. The first shot had to be perfect. Against Tiger, he might not get a second.

Tiger himself strolled on, seemingly oblivious to any cares he might have.

Qrow made one more pass over himself and went for it. He kicked off the ground with everything he had, and rocketed into flight, the force throwing debris and stone into the air behind him. The wind ripped past him blurring everything but his target. He closed the gap in a split second. His sword snapped up. He channeled his Aura right at the last moment and shoved it into the blade. A shadow whipped out of Tiger. A great slash of energy tore out of the sword right as it would connect. Right into the ground and wall off to the side. The weapon itself cut nothing but air.

The shadow whipped out again and wrapped around Qrows ankle. It jerked him down, right into Tiger's fist. Another shadow deflected his sword, and Tiger shoved a steel boot into his chest. The first shadow released him and spun around. It launched a slash of energy at Qrow just as the kick sent him skidding. He just barely caught it on his sword in time to weave around the two that followed it. He shot a blast from his cannon and spun into a slash as a shadow deflected it. The second shadow struck his sword into the ground, and the first slithered in around his ankle, pulling tight just in time for Qrow to drag his sword across it.

The thing recoiled back into tiger's body, and the separated bit dissolved into the air. Qrow pulled his sword back up to parry the other shadow, then turned it to catch a blow from Tiger's fist, and then again for another strike. A shadow lashed out, he lept back, but it found his ankle again. This time it pulled his legs out from under him. The other shadow shoved him into the ground as he fell, and Tiger stomped on his wrist. The shadow moved to hold his other wrist. Tiger smirked down at him. Qrow tried to scowl back, but Tiger slammed a metal fist right into his face.

Tiger stopped short after four, maybe five, more hits, and bent his knee so he could rest his elbow on it. He grabbed Qrow by the hair, forced his head left, then right, and punched him again. He watched a wave of energy flash red, then black over Qrow's skin. "I'd rather not kill you today, Qrow, so this is what's going to happen: I'm going to get up and go about my day, and you're going to lay here, in fear for your life, until I leave."

Qrow finished his scowl and then smirked. "I got one of your shadows this time," he said and immediately decided it worth the extra punch he got for it.

Tiger stood, said, "don't move," retrieved his shadows, and turned to leave. Qrow did precisely as instructed, not even lifting his head to watch. Instead, he listened to the metal click of his steps on the ground. He heard a pause. After the sound started up again, he saw Tiger step around him, headed in the opposite direction. After some time, Tiger came back again with a box in his hands.

"See ya later, Qrow."

Qrow waited a few moments after he could no longer hear Tiger's steps before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll. He hit the name on his contact list and put the Scroll to his ear. Ozpin picked up after two rings.

"Hey, I found that new trouble-maker," said Qrow. "It's Tiger... No, he got away. He definitely hasn't been shirking his training... No, he's up to something, but he didn't let anything slip except he asked after Shen... No, he doesn't know where Shen is... Yeah, I'm pretty sure Shen still thinks he's dead... Alright... Alright... Can do." And he hung up. He pulled himself to his feet, pulled his flask out, and used it as a mirror to look at the fresh cuts on his cheek before he took a long draw from it. Then he tipped it over the ground and heaved a sigh when nothing came out. "Great. Gonna be a great day."


	5. Chapter 3

"ATTENTION. ATTENTION PLEASE. THE TRANSPORT TO BEACON ACADEMY WILL BE DEPARTING SOON. RETURNING STUDENTS, PLEASE MAKE YOU WAY TO GATE B, ALL NEW STUDENTS PLEASE ENTER THROUGH GATE A," the message blared over the intercom for the fifth time, if Shen recalled correctly. He glanced around the station again, noting that the trickle of people into the two crowds at Gates A and B had long since ceased. They still felt endless from the inside, however, even with the assurity that they took up hardly any space at all inside the grand station, with its high walls and glass ceiling. Looking through this ceiling gave him a view of the enormous white tower stretching into the sky, and the multitude of airships continually coming and going from it.

Shen reflected that he would soon be on one of those ships beginning the next stage of his life as he brought his attention back to the ground. He could hear the old gatekeeper each time she asked the forward-most student for their ticket and saw each time she waved them through when they presented their Scroll. He watched, fingering one of many belts in near agony, as the person there now, a tall girl in a purple fur trenchcoat under a head-framing mop of smooth white hair, fumbled around, checking all her pockets for the third time, blubbering something about it being there somewhere.

"I remember bringing it. I must've dropped it somewhere," the girl said, not for the first time.

"Listen, miss- eh." replied the ticket lady waving her hand with the implied question.

"Hm? Oh! Charlem- Reyalia Charlem."

"Miss Charlem, look, you're on the list right here, but I still need your ticket to confirm your identity. I'm sor-"

"Great," Shen breathed to himself, losing interest and putting his attention elsewhere with a sigh. He adjusted Ifriita on his wrists, shuffled his feet and straightened out some wrinkles in his jacket and the yellow t-shirt beneath. Then he sighed again and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. The Huntsman, Coal was his name, had departed as soon as they got to the station, leaving Shen to take the public transport after all. Shen had bombarded Coal with questions the whole way here, but the man seemed just as adamant that Shen not get involved as Tai and Qrow were. So here Shen stood with his mind on the task before him, sure that, whoever that glint was, Qrow would catch them and that would be the end of it.

Things seemed to only get worse for Reyalia as time passed. Many of the others in the crowd began to grow impatient, and this only caused her to become more flustered. Shen's eyes began to wander the mass of bodies standing around him. Most carried their weapons on open display: swords, maces, rifles, pistols, spears, bows, knives, whips and everything in between of all shapes and sizes. Many of them appeared to be on the higher end of technology, and he knew that these were the ones that could transform, but only a few truly stood out as anything special. One of these 'special cases' was a pair of curved blades. They caught his attention because they were the same length and were being worn on the same side, which meant that the wielder- a guy sporting what looked to be an orange and black bathrobe with some over-pants- likely only used one at a time. Still other appeared to have no weapons at all unless they were similar to Ifriita and looked like something entirely different when not in use.

Reyalia began frantically asking the crowd if any of them had seen a lost Scroll. The response she got came as a mix between silent denial and strong jeers for her to step back and let the rest of them pass, which she seemed to see reason in. Shen watched as Reyalia waded through the crowd, still asking after her Scroll ("It's blue with a small sword charm hanging from it") to no success. She had stopped speaking, and there wear tears in her eyes and a slight flush in her pale cheeks when she finally took up a place next to him at the rear of the mob, clutching at a bit of her thick coat with a slender hand to hug it tighter. Her gaze darted back and forth across the polished tile floor, she chewed on a pink, unpainted lip, and a quick melody hummed from her throat. Shen had just noticed that her coat was well-kept, even if it still showed its age with its faded coloring and the dark green vine embroidery that looked like it once sparkled bright as a star, when her head shot up, and her eyes found his. The act was so sudden that he jumped.

"What are you staring at?" she said.

Shen opened his mouth to respond- and stayed that way when he saw the color of her eyes: a deep chocolate brown with an outer ring of bright, shining blue. "Ummm. Hi," he said, barely remembering to smile. _None of that now, Shen. You're not a fucking cliche._

Reyalia returned the smile, almost like she wanted to laugh at something he'd said, but instead the blush rose in her cheeks again, and she hurried to find something else to look at. "Hi."

"I'm Shen Hong, but my friends just call me Shen." He pulled a hand out and presented it to her, as was his custom.

"Reyalia."

"It's nice to meet you Reya." Shen pulled his hand back without missing a beat.

She sighed through her button nose. "Reya-lia"

"Ok~. Do you need help finding something?"

Reyalia shot her head up and found his eyes again, eerily similar to the way she had earlier. This time she creased her brow and seemed to compose her words carefully before presenting them. "I'm looking for my Scroll. I lost it somewhere, and I can't get on the transport without it."

"Oh. Well, do you have a starting point for the search?"

Her eyes grew wide at this. "Um-" she bit her lip again. "I checked to see if it was in my pocket when I joined this... line. So-" She hesitated.

"So either it's on the ground under all these peoples' feet or in one of their pockets, where they plan for it to stay."

"Well-I-wouldn't-be-so quick to accuse- anyone," she stammered out, the blush making yet another return visit to her cheeks.

Shen began to feel like this was the first conversation Reya had had in a long time, if ever. Something in his head kept nagging at her demeanor, but he couldn't quite place what or why. "How 'bout this: tell me what it looks like, and I'll help you to find it."

Reyalia nodded, refusing to look at him. "It's blue, with a sword charm on it."

"Alright. I'm gonna go look over here." He gestured off into the crowd. "If I find it, you'll be the next to have it."

She nodded again. "Thank you," she said as he turned away and began his search.

Shen crept through the mass of people, all his focus devoted to seeing as much as he could. He picked up quite a few things that he otherwise shouldn't have, things generally best left unseen while in public, but none of it what he was actually looking for. The thinning crowd hooked his attention, and he experienced the unpleasant thought that somebody who'd already gone through the gate could have Reya's scroll (What a little tragedy that would be) but he kept searching, regardless.

Eventually, Shen's path brought him before that same bathrobe and curved blades.

"You want something?" the guy demanded as soon he noticed Shen's attention. The sharp edges of his hard face seemed set in a permanent scowl as he fixed Shen with a piercing stare.

Shen made a show of pretending to consider his words carefully. "Your eyes are golden."

"So." Bathrobe Crossed his arms and wrinkled his brow together, the spiked feathering of his red-yellow hair bouncing with the movement.

Shen twitched the corners of his mouth. "And your hair looks like it's on fire." He could see the muscles in Bathrobe's face tightened further at this, but he made a note that it was almost imperceptible and that Bathrobe made no other reaction.

"What of it!?"

"I like it."

Bathrobe did not respond immediately, or even quickly. He just stared and stared before scoffing and stepping off toward the front of the pack. Shen gave him room to leave: he'd found what he was looking for. There it was, a blue Scroll with a small golden sword hanging from it, wrapped in the tan fingers of a girl that was, quite apparently, not Reyalia.

Shen threw one last comment over his shoulder at Bathrobe ("I like that kimono, too, by the way.") but did not bother checking for a response, as he was busy taking in the sight before him, sure he would have trouble looking away from it in the future. The girl stood with a tilt in her hips and pout on her lips, tapping the Scroll on her chin, a full head of silky blue hair hiding the rest of her face.

Shen took a step forward and cleared his throat. The girl turned her head to lay deep brownish red eyes on him, bits of her hair spilling over the ice-blue color of her cropped off leather jacket, and her pout transforming into a sultry smile as she looked him up and down. "Hey there."

"Hi." He extended his hand toward the girl. "I believe I have not had the pleasure. My name is ShenHong."

"Galina." She laid her empty hand on his and shook it. A discreet series of small faded scars covered her arm, similar to the long smooth one that stretched diagonally across the whole length of her otherwise unblemished midriff. "Did you need something, Shen Hong?" She said, retrieving her hand. The fact that she immediately began fiddling with one of the laces that trailed all the way down her low cut pants did not escape Shen's notice. "Or did you just learn what you came to find out?"

Shen chuckled "As grateful as I am to learn your name, I'm afraid I come here on business."

Galina reached her empty hand behind her neck and pulled her hair over one shoulder. "Oh? What business could you possibly have with me?"

"Well, the thing is, I have reason to believe that Scroll there-" He indicated the item with a finger, "that you're trying to draw my attention away from, belongs to my friend. I would thank you for finding it, and kindly ask that you return it."

She tried again, setting the tips of her fingers onto a pair of small straps that crossed over a billowy tank-top impossibly cropped shorter than the jacket. "My my," she said with a frown, "I'm not sure what you mean, Shen. I have only the one Scroll, and if it doesn't belong to me then where is the one that does?"

The final attempt had sealed her loss, however: she pressed her arm onto the corner of her Scroll in one of the jacket's pockets, causing it to act in a way not so conducive to leather. Shen held her gaze as he stepped closer, brought his hand up, and put two quick taps on the pocket.

This time Galina's smile was wicked and mischevious. "Well done, Mr. Xiao Long," she drawled, pointing her face up toward his, leaning in closer than they were already. "You see quite a lot with those eyes of yours, don't you?"

Shen smirked. "Only what I can see."

Galina relinquished him his personal space. "Well, it was fun anyway. Let's do it again some time," she said, sauntering around to take her place in the dwindling crowd.

Shen watched her over his shoulder; watched the way her hips moved as she walked; watched the way her outfit contrasted the equal amount of skin it allowed to show. He turned away as Galina disappeared and took a deep breath through his nose and peered down at the Scroll she'd slipped into his hand. _She's one to watch out for. No big deal, though, I got what I wanted._

He spotted Reya searching around, still hugging her coat tight, just as he finished the thought. He waited for a moment, and sure enough, she found his eyes as if she'd known he was there watching her. He held up her Scroll, gave it a shake, and smile in triumph.

Reyalia beamed bright and hurried over to him.

* * *

"Woah~ that's amazing!" Reyalia knelt on the floor of the transport ship right in the middle of the floor on the lowest deck, where the steel gave way to a massive sheet of glass, the tail of her coat pooled on the floor around her. She laid her hand flat as she stared wide-eyed at whatever had caught her attention.

Shen leaned on a nearby handrail watching her with his arms crossed and a slight smile on his face. It was quieter down on this deck than the ones above: much fewer people, enclosed windows, and the engine was far off. It gave him room in his head to think without having to completely shut the world out. 'July 16th' she'd said her birthday was when he asked her age in the elevator that they had been stuffed into after clearing the gate; the question brought on by the nature of her reaction to the ride up, quite similar to this one now. _Eighteen days older than me. Crazy._

"Shen, come look." Reyalia's voice cut through the noise and right into the image of a pale little red-head running around squealing and giggling at everything she saw. Shen blinked the thought away and found Reyalia smiling at him. She waved her hand. "Hurry! Come on!"

Shen bounced off the rail with his own smirk in place. "Alright, calm down." He stepped around the coat and onto the glass, "What am I looking at?"

"The lake, isn't it beautiful?" Reyalia said, once again staring down at the water as it sped past, hundreds of feet below.

Shen focused. The surface sat almost motionless and caught the sun in shining patterns where the soft ripples made from multitudes of tiny disturbances collided together. "Have you never seen a lake before?"

Not for the first time- Reyalia stilled and fell silent for a moment before answering. _I hope she's not gonna do this every time I ask her something personal._ From somewhere deep in his mind, Shen heard unbidden words, spoken by a voice he'd rather forget during a time he knew he couldn't. 'Staling is a liar's tool,' the voice said, but Shen shook it away and waited.

"Not one without any ice in it," Reyalia said to the floor. "I'm from Atlas, where it's winter almost year round and any water you might find outside- aside from the ocean- is always frozen over unless it was heated with red Dust."

"Really? So, is it like, always snowing there?"

Reyalia stood. "Almost," she said. "Sometimes it's quiet."

"Wow." Shen brushed a loose strand of hair back from his face as he straightened. "I've seen snow before but never year round. I can't even imagine what that would feel like." He glanced around at the few other students on the deck with them. The vast majority of them stood about on the deck above. _Probably trying to be closer to the exit ramp._

"It's cold," Reyalia said absently, adjusted her sword's scabbard on her belt.

Shen blinked, then looked at her with a slight tilt of his head. "Is that a joke?"

Reyalia's head shot up in surprise. "Wha- what? No, um- I mean- I'm sor-" she began to splutter, but stopped when Shen chuckled.

"That was good."

It took a moment for the realization to hit Reyalia, but the blush rose in her cheeks, and she suddenly began to have trouble meeting his eye again once it did. "Oh. Thank you."

Shen heard a soft thud from the floor above them. "Sure thing," he said, as he shifted his focus around. A sharp ringing picked up in his ears, and he closed his eyes tight and held in a breath until it subsided. When Shen opened his eyes again, he found Reyalia staring a question at him.

"Sorry, flash headache," came his quick excuse.

"Oh, but you're ok now?"

"Yeah, it happens sometimes. No big deal." Shen looked back down at the lake and took a moment to hear the sounds around him. The water now appeared as nothing more than a mass of sparkles on a field of blue, but now he could hear the ship's engine that should've been nearly silent. He could no longer see the micro-scratches on the underside of the glass, but he could fully understand the whispers of the surrounding conversations. He did not like what he heard: sniggering, snide comments like 'she's so weird' and 'what the hell is with that jacket?'.

Shen threw his eyes up and pinned them on the small group that he knew was doing this. He saw one of them pointing, which she promptly ceased. The two guys with her each turned to look at him over their shoulders, either foolish enough to think he wouldn't notice or brave enough to think it wouldn't matter. He crossed his arms and stared them down. All three of them had basic weapons, static form, easy to counter. He likely wouldn't need to activate Ifriita even if they drew theirs.

The two guys smirked, turned back to the girl, and they started sniggering all over again. _Brave then._ Shen's Hands tightened into fists and heat began to rise in his neck. He took a quick step toward them when something caught him on the arm.

"Don't," Reyalia said, as she tugged him back.

Shen shot a look at her. She stood with a slouch and something on the floor had her attention. "But those little shits are-"

"I know what they're doing; it's not the first time I've been made fun of. Just leave it."

Shen narrowed his eyes. Her face had drawn tight. He could feel her hand shake against his arm. _There's no way she could hear them._ "How are you so sure they're making fun of you?"

Reyalia's fingers tightened their hold. "How are you so sure?" she said after a moment. "Like I said it's not the first time, so just leave it."

"Fine," he said and turned away with a deep breath, heaved out with a sigh. "Let's go upstairs. I could do with some cleaner air."

An endless wind blew in as the door slid opened, and brought with it the cheers- and jeers- of an excited crowd and the softs sounds of something bumping and scuffling about.

"What's is that?" Reyalia asked him, as she hugged her coat tight.

"I don't know," Shen said and pulled some hair out of his face to rebind it into a bun. "Sounds like everybody's pretty excited about something."

As they neared the top of the stairs, Shen saw the bodies for him to put to the sounds. He stopped and closed his eyes to switch his focus again. When he looked, he could see a space in the middle of the mass between all the limbs, and two people that moved about far more than anyone else, decidedly right in the middle of it.

Shen leaned over toward Reyalia. "It looks like someone got in a fight. Pretty ironic."

"What about, do you think?" Reyalia's hair whipped about her head and face, but she seemed wholly unbothered by it.

"Let's go find out."

"I'm not sure that's such a good- hey! wait up!" Shen had already begun pushing his way in.

The crowd erupted in a roar just as Shen broke through to see a guy sprawled on his back. A cluster of nasty bruises budded on his face, a trickle of blood down his- just recently- broken nose, and another student bore down on him. The other boy- the clear victor in the fight- was the same feather-haired Bathrobe that Shen had spoken to at the station. He punched a palm. Another roar. He lifted his fist into the air and brought it down hard. The defeated offered no reaction as he took the hit, his head bobbing side to side from the force. Bathrobe made to hit him again but stopped on empty air with a deep thud.

Bathrobe glared at his fist, still pressed against whatever invisible object had stopped it. All around people began to ask why he'd stopped and demand that he keep going. A figure clad in a dark blue military blazer rushed at Bathrobe, and -in one fluid motion- caught him by the arm, jerked him to his feet and shoved him away. Bathrobe found his balance, squared up, and scowled at the newcomer.

The newcomer stood, straight-backed and high-chinned, between Bathrobe and his victim. He planted his black-booted feet, crossed his white-gloved hands behind the tails of his blazer, and silently dared Bathrobe to attack him. The whole crowd seemed to collectively hold its breath in anticipation. Nothing happened, not until Military broke the silence.

"What's your name soldier?" he said.

Bathrobe lowered his hands, still scowling "I'm not a soldier," he growled.

"Then tell me your name so I can call you that instead."

Bathrobe hesitated, then said, "Daidaro."

"Well, Daidaro, I am Luin Turma, and I couldn't help but notice that you've already made your point to this individual" -he gestured to the unconscious student- "and feel inclined to inform you that stepping any further out of line will bring reprocutssions down on you."

Daidaro lifted a hand to one of his swords. "Is that supposed to be a threat!?"

Luin pointed at him. "A warning. Look around." He gestured at everyone around them. "You're drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. The fight's over, you've won. Just walk away while you can."

Daidaro glanced from Luin to the guy on the floor, then his eyes swept the gathering and settled back on Luin. His grip tightened on his sword. His face twisted into a hard snarl. His eyes flicked from Luin to the boy and back, and again, as he glared red hot death. The crowd remained a frozen, silent ring around them. If Luin noticed these actions, he hardly showed it. He twitched his fingers at his back, closer to the pair of ax-bladed pistols on his belt, but remained otherwise a statue.

The wind howled across the deck, and urged either of them to move; to strike before the other. It whipped and whistled and then was gone. 'Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glenda Goodwitch.' The recording filled every inch of the transport and drowned out any sounds that happened to have survived the atmosphere. 'You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy.' Shen noticed the others searching around for the speaker. He became suddenly aware of his elevated heartbeat and tight smirk. 'Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world.'

Daidaro and Luin remained just as they were before the interruption, neither having acknowledged it at all. Daidaro relaxed his grip. He straightened his posture and shot Luin a quiet bark of disdain before he turned and disappeared into the already dispersing mass.

Shen watched him go as he thumbed the hard-cases at his hips. He shook his head and tugged down on the tail of his jacket and looked over to see Luin knelt over the sprawled out boy, who had already woken and was attempting to lift himself off the floor.

"Don't," Luin instructed, "You weren't out for long, but something could still go wrong so you shouldn't move around on your own. Just lay here while we wait to arrive at Beacon so we can get you to a medical facility. Don't try to engage your Aura either," he tacked onto the end.

Shen approached them. "What's the damage, Doc?"

Luin gave him a quick glance with a pair of dark grey eyes. "It appears to be minimal, fortunately, but there isn't any equipment anywhere on the ship so my assessment can't be perfect. It looks like the worst injury will come out to be the broken nose, however."

The corner of Shen's mouth twitched. "Oh, you actually are a doctor. I just said that as a joke."

Luin stood and faced him. "Not wholly a doctor. I just have a bit of training in battlefield medicine. I'm Luin."

Shen grasped and shook the hand Luin presented. "ShenHong. Did you happen to see what started this whole mess?"

Luin shook his head. "No. The fight was well underway by the time I noticed it."

"And I only just arrived in time to see It conclude." Shen hooked his pockets with his thumbs and shifted his weight to one leg before he closed his eyes and changed focus. He heard a gasp through the ringing in his ears and turned around to see Reyalia standing with a hand pressed to her forehead, eyes squeezed tight.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Shen said to her.

Reyalia froze, jerked a glance at him and then the floor. She cursed soft enough that she likely thought no-one heard her, and seemed, for all the world, like she was trying to hide behind her hand. "Nothing. I'm fine." She blinked over and over, and over again as she looked around. Her eyes stopped at the guy that lay on the floor. "Oh! Is he alright? What happened?"

"He lost," Shen said, and smiled a bit to himself when he caught the glare that it earned him from the boy.

"He'll be fine," Luin said quickly. "I don't believe I've caught your name, miss. I am Luin Turma."

Reyalia stared at his hand as she pulled her coat tighter. "Um, Reyalia."

Shen nudged her with his elbow and leaned in to whisper. "Play nice, Reya."

Reyalia recoiled and shot her stare at him. "I told you my name is Reya-lia, and I didn't shake your hand either."

"A habit you should consider breaking unless you intend to find out just how many people there are that don't handle it as well as I do," Shen responded with a smile.

Luin replaced his hand behind his back as he watched for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Please, Shen, that isn't necessary," he said once he had their attention. "Miss Reyalia, It is a pleasure to meet you. I can't help but notice the style of your attire and effects. Are you from Atlas, by any chance?"

"Uh, yes- yes I am," Reyalia said.

Luin smiled. "Excellent. And did you attend combat school prior to enrolling at Beacon?"

Reyalia shot a wide-eyed look at Shen, and he lifted his own brows in response. "Yes," she said at length.

"If you don't mind my asking, what made you decide to attend Beason as opposed to Atlas?"

Shen took a step toward Luin and tapped him on the arm. "Before you get into that, I'd like to talk to your patient, Doc, if that's okay."

Luin peered over his shoulder at the boy on the floor. "It should be fine as long as you don't move him."

"Awesome," Shen said and glanced at Reyalia to see her staring a desperate plea at him. He gave her a wink, which sent her scarlet, and walked over to the boy on the floor as he listened to all the conversations going on around him. With another inward smile, he focused in on Reyalia as she attempted to stammer through her responses to Luin's questions, but nothing else really caught his attention.

The boy wore a plain t-shirt under a vest and some slacks with a harness -probably meant to hold the tactical shotgun that lay on the floor next to him- his short brown hair was still messed up from the little scuffle, and he had his eyes closed. "Hey," Shen said and knelt down closer. The boy's eyes crept open to stick him with a deep green glare. "You don't look so hot. You lose a fight or something?"

The boy grunted and closed his eyes again. "Funny."

"Don't worry. Shit happens." She said. "I do have a question for you, though. Specifically about this shit and why it happened."

"Why don't you ask the crazy fuck that did this to me?"

"I plan to. I just thought I'd hear your side of the story first because you're closer, and I'm a bit lazy."

The boy opened his eyes again. "Oh. Well in that case, here it is: I was standin' there mindin' my own business when that crazy bastard attacked me and nearly killed me. Will that work?"

"Very helpful," Shen said, and added with a sharp inhale through the teeth, "but, I'm gonna need a bit more than that."

"Like what?" the boy said, clearly tired of the conversation.

"Well. Things like what your name is, how you know the guy that beat you and what exactly you were doing before he attacked you."

The boy sighed hard but answered. "My name is Spruce," he said, "and I don't know the guy, and -like I said- I was minding my own business."

"Yes, minding your own business. But Spruce, how, exactly, were you minding your own business?"

Spruce's brow drew together, and his lips thinned. "I was talking with my friends."

"What about?"

Spruce did not answer at first. He looked away and growled so low he probably couldn't hear it himself. "I'm the victim here, ok?" he finally said. "He attacked me."

Shen lifted a brow. "Spruce. What were you talking about?"

Spruce did his absolute best to shrink into the floor without moving -as instructed- and threw up a half-assed act of believing Shen was no longer there. After a few moments passed of this, Spruce spoke up again. "He attacked me. That's all I'm gonna say."

Shen grunted in his throat and twisted his lips sideways. "Right," he said and stood. Spruce said nothing more as Shen returned to Luin and Reyalia.

"Its name is, er, Ariango-Joyeo. My father made it for me." Reyalia said as Shen slid up to make a triangle between them. Reyalia, having apparently decided to change her skin color to a light shade of red and staring a hole into the top button of Luin's blazer, immediately moved a bit closer to him, which he pretended not to notice, and Luin seemed _actually_ not to notice.

"Your sword?" Shen guessed.

Ryalia nodded, hummed a wordless confirmation, and paused, continuing once she realized both of them were waiting for her to. "I haven't had it for very long," she said. "Just about a month, really."

"Oh?" Luin said, "have you learned how to use it yet? What exactly is it capable of?"

"Well," she said, as she looked down and rested a hand on the pommel, "I've always done my training with the longsword, so I know how to handle it, but- but my father used this weird technique to forge it, and it has this thing. It's like a reactor, I think, that uses Dust to generate energy, but not like the normal stuff that Dust does. It acts more like- like Aura, maybe, and while it's activated, it can do a whole bunch of- of different things with the energy like- like sharpening and protecting the blade, or making a shield, or shooting a beam. But- but I've havn't even finished reading through the manual yet, so-"

"So you might have only just scratched the surface of its functionality," Luin said, and Reyalia nodded. "It sounds like the weapon has quite a bit of potential to it. I look forward to seeing you in action." Reyalia gave him a shy smile.

Shen took a quick look around Not much else happened after that while they remained on the ship. Shen noticed that they were close to landing and Luin broke away to check on Spruce's condition, armed with the information Shen had gotten from him, and made arrangements to move the boy onto the campus grounds, unwilling to compromise his safety regardless of how healthy Spruce might've appeared to be. Shen and Reyalia melted into the pack of students that had formed at the exit ramp. Reyalia jumped and twitched at every little thing that bumped into her, holding her coat tight, followed close on Shen's heels. This crowd ended up packed tighter than they had been for the earlier spectacle, and they were antsy and fidgety on top of it (Shen took more than one stray elbow to the ribs while he stood perfectly still), and the noise returned to near unbearable levels.

The ramp dropped just as Shen made ready to start breaking some jaws, and the crowd spilled out onto the open-air platform. Shen rolled his arms and shoulders while he followed the traffic. He stopped just on the other side of the platform, at the top of a short flight of stairs that led down to an expansive cobbled plateau. He took a moment to switch his focus, and even loosened some of the restraints he had on his other senses. He instantly felt the afternoon sun on his skin mix with the cool breeze that blew into the cliff from the lake. A deep inhale filled his nose with the smell of grass, trees, metal, and stone all mingled together in the crisp, clean air.

Then he opened his eyes, and they fell on an enormous courtyard surrounded by a ring of massive stone arches, and laden with leaves of green, orange, red and brown drifting over a wide gray cobbled avenue. The avenue itself was lined with tall light-poles draped with long blue flags and ran the entire hundreds of feet into a smaller, inner, courtyard. A series of sparkling fountains spread out from either side of the path to dominate the inner courtyard right out through a second ring of arches, and into a small river that cut the whole thing through the middle. A gigantic statue of a Huntsman and Huntress lording over a cowering Beowulf stood center in the inner courtyard, just before the spot where the avenue ended in another small flight of stairs that led up to a pair of tall oak doors set in the wall of the main campus building.

Behind the building, rose a slew of other buildings flanked by towers with bridges and archways that spanned the gap between, and, in the center, the most fantastic tower stood reaching high into the sky above all the rest. At the top of the tower, a gargantuan clock loomed, peering out over the entire campus, it's obsidian arms clicking into place at One-Sixteen. Tai had told Shen about the clock; about how it doubles as the office of the academy's headmaster: Professor Ozpin. _He's probably watching us right now._

Shen locked his fingers behind his back and lifted his hands, and pushed back into a stretch; then he took his time closing his hands into fists, savoring the feeling of the worn leather wrapping tight around his knuckles. He looked over at Reyalia, her wide eyes and slack jaw reflected just what he felt inside at the sight of the school. She tore her eyes away and straight to his in that way she does, and they both smiled. "Welcome to Beacon," he said.


End file.
